Pvt. v. Public: Advantages v. Disadvantages? Is it "elitist?"

[Dave Workman]

Do you hunt private or public land?

Why? What are the advantages?  Disadvantages?

Do you feel like an "elitist" for hunting private land?

[rougheye]

I will hunt wherever i have the best opportunity . I dont really care whose land it is . Even though it is nice to get away from the crowds . That said , I almost always hunt public land .

[Ray]

Lots of timber co. land is private. But most anyone can get in there...

I hunt wherever I can. Most of the time that will be on state or federal land but have hunted timber co. lands.

[Sagedawg]

 I hunt both, but mainly it private land. I have worked hard to build freindships with the landowners, who allow me acess to their property. I do what I can to help them out with chores or whatever needs to be done, as I feel it shows I respect and value for the oppurtinity they have given me. I feel the the biggest advantage that is offered is , very low hunting pressure, compared to public land  as well as increased chances for filling your tag. I dont feel like Im above anyone else, because they can go and knock on the doors the same way as I have, you just need to be willing to put the time and effort in .

  Sage

[DeKuma]

For me it is all about pressure.  I get to hunt my own land and the surrounding without running into another hunter every 5 minutes.  It does not make me feel elitist at all.  My chances are really no better than anyone elses.  But having the woods to myself and knowing I will not run into someone else makes it worthwhile.
I hunt a lot of NF and Timber lands as well.

[addicted]

private land is crap. you should all stop using it and give me your private land contacts for safe keeping

i hate hot weather, traffic, and crowds.  so getting away from everyone else is nice. cuz everyone loves seeing that guy scope you from across the canyon 

[Bean Counter]

I hunt both, but mainly it private land. I have worked hard to build freindships with the landowners, who allow me acess to their property. I do what I can to help them out with chores or whatever needs to be done, as I feel it shows I respect and value for the oppurtinity they have given me. I feel the the biggest advantage that is offered is , very low hunting pressure, compared to public land  as well as increased chances for filling your tag. I dont feel like Im above anyone else, because they can go and knock on the doors the same way as I have, you just need to be willing to put the time and effort in .

  Sage

Its only eliteist if you surround your property in barbed wire and point a gun at every hunter who has the courtesy to come knock on your door in the early summer asking about the fall.. Otherwise, I agree that the bond forged with a landowner by a respectful, grateful hunter is one of few traditional (good) things left in the world. 

There's little better in this world than a landowner who views wildlife as being owned by the public at large, and a hunter who gives back to the one who lets hunter access.

[12Gauge]

I hunt Public land.  Private lands, like hunting ranches are really to expensive more or less $600 and up & up.  If I had to spend that much money, I would rather hunt at Safeway.  I am saving up though for a down payment for land just to hunt in.

[cascademountainhunter]

mostly public land but i try and hunt where theres not very many other hunters.....prolly like most people

[DOUBLELUNG]

Both.  I feel more like an elitist by applying for nonresident tags out of state, than by hunting private land.  With one exception (a crazy old coot who leased his 40 acres of wetland waterfowl habitat exclusively to a friend and me for $40/season), I've never paid cash for access.  I have brought boxes of fresh apples to people who don't usually get them, hunted coyotes, branded and herded cows, fixed fences, patrolled for poachers/trespassers, and babysat for landowners who let me hunt - but it's never been a quid pro quo, more doing something good for someone who has done me some good. 

[DeKuma]

I could not afford to pay for a lease to hunt, but do not have negative feelings to those that do.  If my family did not own the property I hunt, then I would be forced into all public or door knocking.

[robodad]

I am one of the free ranging public land crowd dodging do it your selfers I guess, I enjoy hunting in the crowds, for one because it gets the critters moving and another there is nothing more pleasing then pulling a nice buck out of an area that is covered up with people, sort of like the guy that drops into the hole you have been fishing all day and in two casts has two fish !!   

[Vek]

I've never hunted private land, and don't plan to.  I guess I look at that like a flyfisherman looks at fishing with worms. 

Private land doesn't tend to have the type of terrain I like, and that happens to be the type of terrain that keeps everyone else out.  "Private" in a different way, I guess. 

[rasbo]

It costs me 300.00 a year for a key to over 160,000 acres.The gate is 12 minutes form my house,I get my fire wood there also.Economics for me,I hunt public land eastside for elk.Not an elitist an opportunist.

[saylean]

Like most of you, I hunt where ever I can. Private, public, etc.

The key for me is, trying to get away from people (at least a little bit)...dont care if I see a ton of animals or not. Just happy to be out.

[Caseyd]

I hunt private land for deer. My family has a wheat ranch near Walla Walla....Ive grown up hunting like that so its the only way i know.

Elk...public land!

Waterfowl....80% public 20% private.


Im with the most of you....dont like crowds 

[high country]

I hunt public land and only public land, for deer and elk. I have killed one bear on private land and I reget it still PITA. I feel more like an eliteist for hunting on public land that othres either don't know about or won't work to get to.

I have friends that have killer buck running around their ranches, and I am a hardcore long range shooter, but to hunt farm land would cause ME to hang it up. (not judging a sole, my defect). I get a high from being in the high country.

slob hunters piss me off. follow the rules on public land and we can all enjoy it. and equally, if you hunt within earshot of a road, don't get all pissy if a doorknob on a quad rides by and asks if you have seen anything.

[Swiftkid]

i hunt mostly private land but i've been watching a buck on public land that seems not to be getting pushed around much at all...hopefully i wont be fighting off the crowds on saturday morning, but will see...if that doesn't work out it'll be off to private land where i know i won't be fighting off anyone

[jjhunter]

Public vs. Private?  Depends where you are!  I am hunting private in MT and plan on killing a great buck.  I am hunting public in CO and plan on taking an even larger buck......I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both.  I grew up with access to more private ground than I can hunt and have shot several 25"-29" bucks, but never a true monster.  So, the "easy" private ground hunting kept me away from areas where an encounter with a monster could be had.  I think this is a disadvantage - this is why I still have a bow tag - Anyone want to trade a private land pheasant hunt for some Swakane Info?  

[PolarBear]

100% pubic land!  I get more satisfaction of of taking a P&Y buck or bull on heavily hunted public land as opposed to some semi tame or lightly pressured critter on private land.  Just a personal rule with me.

[jackelope]

i hunt deer on private...until this year. i do it because i have access to a few thousand acres of wheat/range land in the foothills of the blues with lots of deer that puts lots of venison in the freezer.
the 2 elk hunts i have been on now have been public, all the waterfowl has been on public land and most of the upland hunting has been on public. i am hunting public land this year for deer in the blues and on the wetside because i can, and because i think i have better opportunities for better bucks there.

[hogsniper]

For big game I hunt timber co. and also dnr land. For waterfowl I primarily hunt private ground. It is soo much better because you dont have to put up with anybody's Chit....It is nice not having to get there at 2 in the mornin to lock ur blind like some do on public ground....

[robb92]

In Maryland I only hunt for deer on private land, its not fenced in and the deer cross off the national lands that you can not even walk through the land I can hunt on. The public land has to many *censored*es who shoot at anything that moves, had my turkey decoys shot up when some *censored* shot over my head at them. In Virginia I hunt both for deer, but for bear publilc land.

[piledup]

I like hunting public land. I like to get out of the crowds like everyone else but like everyone, the farther I go, there are those who try to get away from the crowds too. So I don't care much for the crowds as long as we all get along. Plus, you know you are lucky and I mean LUCKY when you get a big buck when there is a crowd. 

[Houndhunter]

i hunt mostly national forest and sometimes some timber companys land, but i do go onto private land 1 a year for deer and thats always a good time. hunting private land is really the only time we actually get to set up a really big and nice camp, and i like that

[firefighter4607]

I hunt 98% private land. My family has owned this land for years, and it will continue to be owned by family members. I have been going out every opening morning since I was about 6 years old. We all just enjoy going out and hunting. If we dont kill anything thats fine, it is like a reunion.  This doesn't make me feel "elitist" just because we have land. My family has been farming this land for 3 decades. The other 2% is when I get draw for a tag in Grayback.

As far as elk go I hunt on public land, Forest Service, DNR, and some private. I have only got one elk in the 10 years I have been hunting elk. You can see the pic on my profile. I was very very lucky.

Upland Birds is of course all private, once again my family's land.

[finnman]

What Sage said

[Guy]

I feel very fortunate to be able to hunt private land. A friend of mine has a large chunk of land, and lets me and a few of his friends hunt it year after year. Very nice. Not much other pressure on those deer, and we seldom see another hunter. It's good.

I also hunt public land - and it's just fine - but there's often someone else working the same drainage etc... That said, there's some excellent hunting on public land!

Good Luck to all you Hunters this year! Guy

[huntnphool]

Do you hunt private or public land?
Why? What are the advantages?  Disadvantages?
Do you feel like an "elitist" for hunting private land?

There are huge advantages for hunting private land. I hunt a 30,000 acre ranch in some of the best deer area in Montana and its nice knowing I don't have to worry about the animals being pushed too much. Last year I spotted a nice buck on the first evening we were there, but knowing we would be there all week I passed on him. After hunting the week and helping my brother and friend get good bucks earlier I still hadn't tagged out hoping to find that monster. Well it didnt happen so I went back to the draw I had seen the big buck the first day. Having vitually no pressure he was still there with his does, we put a stalk on him and the rest is in the "post Montana" thread. No way would this have happened on public land. Do I feel like an elitest? not at all, I feel fortunate to be able to do it.